Satellite is now the most popular infrastructure for the reception of digital TV in Ukraine.
Data published by SES in its annual market research study Satellite Monitor shows that 22%, or 3.7 million, of all households in the country were receiving TV directly via satellite in 2012.
Furthermore, 98%, or 3.6 million, did so from SES satellites, primarily from 5 degrees East and also 31.5 degrees East.
At the same time, both terrestrial and cable reception fell in 2012, from 8 million to 7.6 million and 5.8 million to 5.2 million respectively.
The survey also shows that satellite is the leading infrastructure of choice for digital TV reception in Ukraine, with 86% of 4.3 million digital households being satellite homes.
In addition, satellite is the preferred infrastructure for HD reception in Ukraine, with 84% of HD homes being satellite homes. All of these satellite HD homes receive transmissions via SES’ Astra satellites.
Commenting on the figures for Ukraine, Norbert Hölzle, senior VP, Commercial Europe at SES, said: “Ukraine reflects the European trend, with the number of terrestrial and cable homes decreasing and the number of satellite households growing. Satellite remains the leader in digital across most of our markets, including Ukraine. Another important trend is that satellite is the primary platform for HD distribution, and we are proud to confirm that all satellite HD homes in Ukraine are on SES satellites.
“Currently Ukraine is being served by two satellites — Astra 4A at 5 degrees East and Astra 1G at 31.5 degrees East — offering DTH, cable and terrestrial feeds for SD and HD channels. With the launch of ASTRA 5B at 31.5 degrees East in Q3 2013, we will be able to offer more capacity for HD and other digital services for the Ukrainian market.”
More generally, the survey found that in Europe, 85 million TV homes received their signals from satellites in 2012, up from 84 million a year earlier. Over the last four years, satellite increased its reach in Europe by 17%.
Among the 249 million TV homes in Europe, satellite continued to be the most popular reception mode. It also accounted for 43% of all digital homes and 41% of all satellite households watched HD services.
